Connecting homeless people in Bristol with local employers

85 per cent of young people who have been homeless or in care lack any qualifications above GCSE level. One in two never had anyone supporting them at sports days or parents’ evenings. Many lack confidence and feel lonely.

1625 Independent People (1625ip) is the One Million Futures charity partner of our Bristol office and supports young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to lead happy and independent lives.

Creating a bridge with potential employers can be a big step in transforming lives. See how the charity went about this with a little help from our volunteers.

Knocking on ambition’s door

Deloitte volunteers recently helped 1625ip develop a scheme called Young Ambition which links young care leavers and homeless people with employment opportunities. Thanks to the One Million Futures Impact Foundation Fund, they secured £100,000 in funding and £50,000 in pro bono services to find opportunities for 30 new people and hire two new staff members.

Local employers quickly saw the benefits of Young Ambition, and a wide range of placements started rolling in. They were accessing a new pool of talent to meet their recruitment needs while helping the local community tackle an important issue.

The Bristol team’s involvement with the scheme continues. They’re exploring ways of making the scheme self-funding and are helping 1625ip to bring together everything that they’ve learnt in a toolkit which can be passed on to other organisations so they can run similar schemes in their local areas.

Accessing opportunities

Tymara used to be an intensive support worker at 1625ip. Now she is a housing adviser at Bristol City Council. Tymara knows first-hand the barriers to employment that youth homelessness can present.

“103,000 young people asked for help with homelessness in 2018, according to the charity Centrepoint. And there are many more people who do not show up in official figures, who find a temporary solution by staying with family members or friends or in other insecure accommodation. This is known as hidden homelessness.

"Like me, they often find themselves homeless through no fault of their own – because of family breakdown, mental health issues, after leaving care or because they have moved away from home to work or study but then found rents are unaffordable.

"I grew up in Dorset with my mum, but then our relationship broke down due to mental health issues. After that, I moved to Bristol to live with my aunt, however this relationship also broke down. After sofa surfing for a couple of months, a chance referral to the 1625ip Bristol Foyer changed everything.”

A transformational time

“Living in supported housing was one of the best years of my life. It was difficult at times, and at first I was so nervous, but I had the best support worker in the world who was thorough and professional. It encouraged my stability and personal growth to ensure I could achieve my full potential.

"I went on to graduate with a BA (Hons) in Psychosocial Studies from Goldsmith’s University. I then returned to 1625ip, this time as a support worker helping other young people facing homelessness, and was accepted to complete a Master’s in Social and Public Policy at the University of York.

"I am writing this because my story could have been very different without this support. Deloitte has supported 1625ip with a range of pro bono services, including Gift Aid, VAT, GDPR and implementing a new human resources system.

"Through the partnership with Deloitte, 1625ip can provide a higher quality of support to vulnerable young people, helping them to live independently and thrive. It’s helping to change lives, the same way I was helped to change mine.”

One Million Futures

Launched in 2016, One Million Futures is our ambition to help one million people get to where they want to be through access to education and employment. We’re supporting over 60 inspiring social enterprises, charities and schools with pro bono, volunteering and fundraising.

One Million Futures is part of our Global WorldClass commitment to help 50 million futures prepare for a world of opportunity.